Assessment of cultural bias on the PdPVTS across gender and racial/ethnic groups.
Robert J. McCaffrey, Cecil R. Reynolds, Julie K. Lynch, Robert A. Leark, Robert Ramkhalawansingh · 2022 · 4 citationsRead the paper
Performance validity assessment has become a standard component of psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations (Sweet et al., 2021) but there is evidence to demonstrate that cultural variables can influence performance validity test outcomes. Given the critical role that performance validity assessment plays in determining the accuracy of neuropsychological and psychoeducational test data, it is imperative that these tests are unbiased across culturally diverse samples. The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the impact of race/ethnicity and gender on the Pediatric Performance Validity Test Suite (PdPVTS; McCaffrey, Lynch, Leark, & Reynolds, 2020). A general population sample of n = 838 examinees was collected and demographically matched subsamples were established to compare gender and racial/ethnic groups while controlling for other confounding demographic variables. Classification/failure rates revealed little evidence of adverse impact across gender and racial/ethnic groups. Mean score equivalency between demographic groups was achieved in most cases. Instances where evidence of equivalence could not be established, namely for the Story Questions, were associated with smaller sample sizes and lower statistical power. Taken together, the current study demonstrates that examiners may use the PdPVTS with confidence that pass/fail classifications will not be associated with gender or race/ethnicity for Black, White, and Hispanic examinees.
What the full text shows
Tested in real conditions- No evidence of adverse impact in pass/fail classifications across gender and racial/ethnic groups. — Ratios > 0.80 for all tests and comparisons (Black, White, and Hispanic examinees)
- Pass/fail frequencies showed no statistically significant differences between demographic groups. — p = 0.12 to 0.99 (Across all PdPVTS tests)
- Mean score equivalence was established for most tests between gender and racial/ethnic groups. — p < 0.01 for most TOST pairs (Matched samples of male/female, Black/White, and Hispanic/White)
- Significant difference in mean total score for Story Questions between males and females (ages 12-18). — p = 0.039, r = -0.18 (Examinees aged 12 to 18)
- Significant difference in mean total score for Story Questions between Black and White examinees (ages 7-11). — p = 0.008, r = -0.26 (Examinees aged 7 to 11)
- Setup
- n = 838 examinees from the general population, stratified to match 2017 US Census data; individual test completion ranged from n = 431 to n = 563.
- How
- The study used a general population sample to compare pass/fail rates and mean scores of the PdPVTS across gender and race/ethnicity using Fisher's exact tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Two One-Sided Tests (TOST) for equivalence. Demographically matched subsamples were created to control for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and parental education level.
- Limitations
- Smaller sample sizes for non-White groups reduced statistical power for some equivalence tests. · Exclusion of individuals with hearing, visual, or motor impairments and those with diagnosed psychological or neurological disorders.
Summarized by Gemma 4 from the open-access full text · 12 Oct 2026. Read it